Where have I been?
I haven't posted here in a good long while, and there have been a variety of reasons -- the primary one simply being that I hit a very busy time at work and also rediscovered various hobbies, and just didn't make the time to write here. However, there is one other reason -- this blog is, fundamentally, about work-related topics, and it's important to me to be able to make it constructive, and not simply an outlet for complaining about work (as the Web has more than enough of those.)
While telecommuting, groupware, presence technology, and alternative working arrangements will remain my primary focus, after as many years as I've spent in the IT and software development world, I can confidently say there are a lot more things making IT and development workers unhappy than just having to sit in a stifling, sterile cubicle farm. I have a lot of commentary to make on these things, but have refrained from doing so since they seemed at least somewhat off-topic. However, even if not necessarily directly related to the blog's original mission statement, they're certainly related to its title and overall focus. Specifically, I'm thinking of software engineering practices and features of the corporate workplace that make employees unhappy but don't actually do much for productivity.
Thus, in reactivating this forum, I'll also be broadening its focus somewhat. I hope you'll find it interesting.